The NFC North is a division in transition, and one that’s very interesting for fantasy football dynasty leagues. The Aaron Rodgers-led Packers are no more; now they are a young potential gold mine of fantasy goodness for years to come.
The Lions are for real! That is all that needs to be said.
We could be seeing the last season of a Kirk Cousins-led Vikings offense. Who comes in next and what does that do for some of the fantasy options there?
Chicago has a big decision to make. Do they trust the process with Justin Fields and build around him yet again or will we see him moved before the trade deadline this season. It could make for a sad fantasy finish for DJ Moore and Cole Kmet. Let’s take a look at my favorite buy, sell and hold from this division for dynasty fantasy football leagues.
Dynasty Fantasy Football: Buy, Sell, & Hold – AFC North
Buy – Jordan Love QB, Green Bay Packers
I’ve been on the Jordan Love bus since the start. It was tough to hold him when he wasn’t taxi eligible, but if you did you are being rewarded for your patience. Through the first four weeks Jordan Love was the QB3, averaging 22.1 points per game. He put up a stinker in Week 5 before going on bye this past week. He is now averaging 19.1 points per game.
The Packers have done a wonderful job of surrounding him with talent. They spent back-to-back second round picks on wide receivers; with Christian Watson last year and Jayden Reed this year. Romeo Doubs, fourth round pick last year, is looking like Love’s favorite target. TE Luke Musgrave, another second round pick from April, is getting the job done as a rookie. If Aaron Jones can come back healthy, it will just add another weapon for Love to target.
Love is under contract for this year and next. If the Packers can string a few wins together, I expect them to start looking at a long term deal with Love. There is not a lot of room for Love to move up in dynasty fantasy football rankings. He is currently QB16 on KeepTradeCut. I expect he can surpass Jared Goff, Bryce Young, and Justin Fields (who are ahead of him) at some point. The rest of the field will be a bit tougher, but it is possible Love could work his way up to QB11 or QB12 and stay there for a long time.
Love is one of the only young starting QBs with long term potential that you can still get for a late 1st in dynasty leagues. plpus maybe a small piece. If a long term deal is worked out in the offseason, I expect his value will increase greatly. Get him now before that happens.
Honorable Mention – T.J. Hockenson TE, Minnesota Vikings
It is hard to find consistent tight ends in fantasy football, but TJ Hockenson fits the definition. He is the TE4 on the year, averaging 9.7 points per game. Last year, he finished as the TE2 averaging 10.1 points per game. After years of inconsistency with the Lions, the Vikings have brought the best out of Hockenson.
Now, with Justin Jefferson out, Hockenson is in line to be the main target for Kirk Cousins. In Week 6 he had a team-leading 8 targets. Look for him to continue to be reliable while Jefferson is out. At 26 years old, he has many productive years left. Things could get interesting if Cousins is moved, but I think Hockenson will continue to be a reliable option for whoever takes over. I am ok sending a mid 2024 1sr to get a deal done in my dynasty leagues.
Sell – Justin Fields QB, Chicago Bears
Justin Fields was in my buy section last year, but this year I am selling in dynasty fantasy football leagues. His recent thumb injury makes it tough at the moment. However, when he comes back and plays a few solid games I would look to move on.
Last year Fields finished as the QB6, averaging 20.5 points per game. That was after starting the year with four straight games under 15 points. His legs were a weapon last year, with 1143 rushing and 8 rushing TDs. This year we have seen his throwing potential. We saw him throw 4 TDs in back-to-back games in Week 4 and Week 5. In those weeks he finished as the QB3 and QB1. It’s tough to not get a little excited about what could be!
There is no denying the fantasy potential, however, real NFL teams care about winning. Fields has not proven he can do that. He is 7-26 in his first three years, including 1-5 this year. If the losing continues the Bears will need to consider moving on. The Bears have two first round picks, both projected to be top 5 selections. Fields will need to show he can win to keep his starting job with the Bears.
If the Bears do move on, will another team give Fields a chance? I would assume so, but how long of a leash does he get if the losses keep piling up? I expect him to drop a bit down in dynasty fantasy football rankings with the injury. However, there will be a manager in your league who wants that potential.
If you can move Fields for Jordan Love, Brock Purdy or Jared Goff, I would consider doing that. You will lose out on the boom weeks, but it will save you the headache of wondering what is going to happen this offseason.
Honorable Mention – Justin Jefferson WR, Minnesota Vikings
Yes, this might be a bit insane, but why not? If you can sell an injured player for a king’s ransom, why not? The Vikings could bounce back this year, but if they don’t, Jefferson and the team have no reason for him to rush back.
I think we can all agree that Jefferson is ‘QB-proof’. Even if the Vikings move on from Cousins this offseason, Jefferson will continue to be productive. However, rookie Jordan Addison is only going to get better, Hockenson will continue to demand targets, and that could be a lot for a rookie QB to keep happy. One down year can hurt a player’s value greatly.
If you’re looking for an example of a trade involving Jefferson, this happened in one of my dynasty fantasy football leagues:
Team A
- CeeDee Lamb
- Tony Pollard
- Tank Dell
- 2024 Early-Mid 2nd
Team B
- Justin Jefferson
- Dameon Pierce
- 2024 Late 4th
It’s not bad value, but you can probably do better!
Hold – Jahmyr Gibbs RB, Detroit Lions
Answer this question for me: why do you draft a RB 12th overall to use him as a scatback? The excitement in the Lions’ draft room when they drafted Jahmyr Gibbs now just baffles everyone. Dynasty fantasy football managers should have seen it coming, the Lions misused D’Andre Swift and now they are doing the same thing with Gibbs.
The concerning thing with Gibbs is that David Montgomery signed a three-year contract in the offseason. That means he could be a game script-dependent player for the next three years. That will be frustrating for fantasy football managers. So why am I telling you to hold? Look at Swift now! How many of you wish you would have held him through the frustration? The talent is there, he just needs his chance.
Gibbs is still ranked as a top 10 RB on KTC. If you can find a suitable trade, go ahead and do it. However, I don’t think you are getting top 10 value from him after his slow start. Show some patience; you drafted him high, likely because your dynasty team isn’t ready to compete. He could peak right when you are ready to go.
Honorable Mention – Green Bay’s Trio of WRs
This is a potential lethal young trio of WRs. Romeo Doubs’ dynasty fantasy football managers are loving the target share. Anyone who drafted Jayden Reed should be excited that he leads the WRs in red zone targets. The value of these two just wouldn’t be enough to move on from their potential. The only one I might consider selling is Christian Watson. He holds the most value, but has been the least productive due to injuries. However, he led the team in targets in Week 6 with seven. It might be a bit of a headache, but this young offense could grow into a fantasy gold mine.
Dynasty Stash – Tyler Scott WR, Chicago Bears
You know who was second in targets in Week 6 for the Bears? If you guessed fourth-round pick Tyler Scott, you are correct. He even had two red zone targets back in Week 3.
The Bears do have an extra first, plus a lot of cap space to sign a free agent WR next offseason. The chance is slim that Scott will be a consistent starter. However, with the current depth chart and Darnell Mooney set to hit free agency in 2024, he’s worth a stash to see what will happen.
The NFC North was surprisingly a tough division to sift through for dynasty fantasy football leagues. Jared Goff is young enough to buy and the Lions are a team on the rise. His price is right and he isn’t going anywhere with the way the Lions are playing. And just like with Gibbs, I am being patient and holding Jameson Williams to see what happens.
Aaron Jones should be moved if you aren’t contending – the same goes with Alexander Mattison.
Roschon Johnson is a potential buy; his price could be on the rise if he takes over the starting job with Khalil Herbert injured. I previously mentioned Cole Kmet as a dynasty buy when he signed his contract. He is currently the TE4. He should continue to be the Bears number two target, but he is TD dependent. It’s a good thing he leads all Bears pass catchers in red zone targets!
Sheldon Hand
Sheldon Hand is an elementary school teacher. He started writing in 2019, and started working with The League Winners in 2021. He has been playing fantasy football for fifteen years, got into dynasty seven years ago and have become a bit obsessed.